What To Get Up To In The Pantiles

The Pantiles is without a doubt my favourite area of Tunbridge Wells. It’s also my least visited part of my hometown but I still love it it nonetheless. So when Toby and I took a trip down there the other week, I thought I’d take a few snaps for a blog post so I could enlighten you guys who don’t know about this hidden gem in Kent about what to get up to in The Pantiles.

The Pantiles is one of the most historic parts in Tunbridge Wells and is situated at the bottom, just past the old high street. It’s probably not the most visited place in the whole of Tunbridge Wells but it bloody well should be! It’s essentially a glorified high street full of restaurants, cafes, bars and shops with a big band stand in the middle but it’s so beautiful! Whether you just fancy aimlessly wandering around or you’re looking for somewhere to shoot if you’re a blogger (or just wanna do it for the gram) then you should definitely spend a few hours on The Pantiles.

You can easily walk down from the Royal Victoria Place Shopping Centre at the top of town but there are a couple of nearby car parks as well. Just be careful driving into the one on Linden Park road because it’s so easy to scrape the bottom of your car! If you’re coming via train then just jump off at Tunbridge Wells station and it’s an eight minute walk in a straight line so you can’t go wrong! It’ll give you the chance to mooch around the old high street too.

I’ve raved about the food at Framptons before but it really is worth popping in for some grub. I’ve only ever eaten brunch there so that’s all I can personally recommend but Toby’s family had dinner there a few weeks ago and said it was incredible. It’s really affordable, the staff are so friendly and attentive, service is fast, the food is bloody tasty and they’ve really got their menu nailed.

Have a boogie at jazz night

Ah, the infamous Jazz on The Pantiles. I’ve only been a couple of times but so many of my friends religiously hit up their Thursday night music nights. It runs from May to September and packs out super quickly so you need to get there early or book a table at a restaurant in advance to get a decent seat. I’ve heard some people bring their own camping chairs but that’s pretty long having to carry them around so I’d recommend heading down there at around 6 o’clock to guarantee a table at one of the nearby pubs. It’s completely free to turn up and have a boogie and when the weather’s warmer, it’s the perfect way to spend a Thursday evening!

Pop into the independent shops

As with any small town, there are a string of independent shops located along The Pantiles which I love to pop into. The photo above was snapped in Oak & Interiors which is a really sweet little homeware shop and they even make their own furniture! Obviously, I was immediately drawn to the animal heated bean bags but they have loaaaads of stuff in there from blankets to cards to vases to tables to anything!

Have a mooch around the farmers’ market

You want yummy food? Get ya arse to the sweet treat stalls at the farmers market! It takes place on the first and third Saturday of every month and my God the food is amazing! I can’t say I get particularly excited about the fish or veggie stands but the ones that sell cake and brownies are so cute! Earlier in summer I bought a salted caramel brownie and HOLY SHIT it was the best brownie I’ve ever had the pleasure in tasting, albeit rather expensive!

Relax with a coffee

There are so many cute little coffee shops along The Pantiles, I’m sure it would take you years to go into every single one! I keep track of the ones which I want to visit through @GoodFoodTW on Instagram because Adam does a fantastic job of trialling and testing the best food and coffee spots in our area. The ones which I’ve heard the best reviews about which you (and me) must try out are The Pantiles Cafe, The Cake Shed, Chocolatl and Juliets. I have to admit though, The Pantiles Cafe is at the top of my list – honestly, just take a look at their hot chocolates and I guarantee you’ll drool!

I hope this post has shed some light on what to get up to in The Pantiles because it really is the most underappreciated part of Tunbridge Wells! There are just so many places to try out whether it’s for a latte or a slice of cake and the list of photo opportunities is endless!